/
Zero. The great mage makes a plan (2)
As a result of holding the name Zero for a few hours and running the tutorial (although most of them were skipped), Mirole learned several things. Zero’s adaptation to the Mother Forest was unusually fast, considering that he couldn’t remember it. That demon must be a succubus, and she didn’t know what she did, but she was always near him. Not only Zero’s, but even the succubus’s ability was beyond the scope of common sense. And lastly, the unidentifiable soft snacks he pulled out of the subspace were very delicious.
“…Would you like another one?”
“I-If that’s alright…wow, another snack!”
Evan was silent as he watched the remains of the cake being sucked into Mirole’s mouth as soon as he took it out of the inventory pocket. It was impossible to count how many pieces of the cake had already met their fate in that way. The present Mirole didn’t have such an image, but the one from this side seemed to be distracted by sweet things like a little girl. Evan pledged to make sure he checked her out when he went back.
“A-Ahem…it’s a good thing, of course, that there is plenty of deliciously preserved food!”
She realized that Evan was looking at her, and Mirole cleared her throat, pretending to be a grown-up. She didn’t realize that there was cream on her mouth.
“You can’t use limited resources forever, so you’ll have to learn how to be self-sufficient, too. What’s more, some of the fruits that open in this forest have special effects, so it’s not bad to know!”
“Hmm.”
The new generation was the era of the beginning. Naturally, alchemy was also passed on only in its primitive form. If so, where did you get the potions? It was from nature. Not only the Mother Forest but from most of the environments full of food and water. That was what Mirole explained now.
“Moreover, there are some combinations that are even more effective. These are mostly high-level information conveyed by vision. But if you ask, I can tell you in particular.”
Of course, Evan knew 100 times more recipes than Mirole knew. Besides…
“Mirole.”
“Hoooo.”
Mirole, who was suddenly called by Evan, let out a strange voice. In Yo-Ma Great War Zero, when was the first time that the great ancient mage called Mirole by name? Since there was no direct line, there was no choice but to infer it by context, but perhaps it was only in the mid to late half that such a description would have come out. However, Evan wasn’t as slow as the great ancient mage in the game, so he could call her name as much as she asked.
“What is it?”
“N-nothing! I was just surprised that you called me…”
“If that’s it, okay, but…how about checking your condition?”
“What? What are you talking…huh!?”
Mirole, who frowned at Evan’s words, checked her condition and opened her eyes wide.
“My magic power has increased…!?”
“The bread you ate earlier…this is the effect the cake contained.”
What Mirole just ate was a cake with a potion that Evan made with alchemy as a sauce. It was Evan’s homemade cake. Compared to this world’s crops that produced magical effects with only raw materials, or to a master’s skill in instilling miraculous effects with special recipes, it was just a trick, but…as a way to take potions without getting sick of it, he was able to produce quite likely results by demonstrating his Alchemy Master skills.
“No way it had such an effect…I guess I don’t even need to teach you anything.”
“But if you add special materials that can only be obtained in this forest, you can get a better effect. So please, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Oh…okay!”
“Thanks.”
Mirole loved the fact that her own knowledge wasn’t vain. With a bitter smile on his face from seeing how different she was from the present Mirole, Evan reached out a hand to her cheek. He didn’t mind her flinching as he skillfully wiped the cream off her mouth.
“Ah…t-thank you.”
Mirole instinctively licked her lips, making a blank expression. The heroine attack system newly intervening in Yo-Ma Great War Zero was really going smoothly!
“Master, really…! Please stay still.”
“Maybell, you…”
“Slurp…”
Maybell sucked the cream off his finger. It seemed that she was on the lookout for Evan getting close to Mirole only, but that was uselessly suggestive. Mirole, who was staring at Evan as if she were possessed, noticed Maybell’s existence only then, and she was so shocked that she corrected her posture.
“A-Ahem…I think I’ve taught you most of what you need to survive in the forest. Then, let’s move on to the next thing to do.”
“What is it?”
“It is making this hideout a place where someone can live.”
Of course, this was also a tutorial. Now that Evan has grasped all about the battles, food security (that was, recovery means), and forest information (basic information of the game), they moved onto the stage of decorating the place that becomes the base for the game progression.
“The spirits love this place, but there are so many things that we lack in order to live. Fortunately, you can use magic, and I can ask the spirits, so it won’t be hard…”
“You know, will you be sleeping here, too?”
“Ugh!? A-and what about it!?”
While listening to her explanation, Maybell suddenly asked Mirole a keen question. Her eyes were shining as if she found something interesting.
“Mirole, you don’t even live here. But why are you going to sleep here?”
“Because it will make me feel guilty to leave someone who has lost his memories here. I’m not that kind of cold elf. And that’s just it!”
“Huh, I see. You are really nice.”
Maybell smiled brightly as she stroked Mirole’s hair, which fluttered like a golden wave. Even though she was obviously being treated as a child, she couldn’t get mad at Maybell and only blushed. It was because she was afraid that if she reacted loudly for no reason, they would find out what she was feeling. In fact, she couldn’t reveal that she was running away from home and hiding from the other elves.
“Maybell, don’t harass Mirole.”
“I’m trying to get along with her, Master!”
“That’s something a bully would say…”
Evan sighed and pulled Maybell towards him. Maybell made a coquettish voice and clung back to him.
“I was expecting that we would be alone tonight.”
“Whaaaat!?”
Somehow, Mirole’s voice got louder. It felt pitiful to see her long ears red as if they were going to explode soon.
“I’m going to sleep here! I’m going to sleep! Here! So, you can’t do anything weird!”
“What do you mean by weird? Huh?”
“Maybell.”
“Ahuuun.”
After flicking Maybell, who was questioning Mirole, on the forehead, Evan put his hand back into the inventory pocket. Mirole was watching him all the while.
“Um, maybe…?”
“Right. There are magic tools that can replace a house.”
“Where did you get such magic tools?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t remember.”
Mirole’s expression turned openly dissatisfied because she wasn’t convinced that he knew he had magic tools but he didn’t know how he got them. However, as a result of exploring dungeons that didn’t exist in the present era to the 100th floor, it was impossible to honestly answer that he had secured advanced artifacts that could cope with almost any situations, so Evan just smiled with a suspicious smile. First, he took out two tents. They didn’t seem very big on the outside, but space expansion magic was applied to it, so the interior was like a house with multiple rooms.
“Unbelievable.”
“After that, I’ll have to build a fence. It has both an alert function and a concealment function, so it will be able to prevent intrusion from outside to some extent.”
“Unbelievable!”
[Tutorial 05: Organizing Your Living Environment] ended in less than a minute. Evan’s hand just went in and out of the inventory pocket a few times! Mirole entered the tent, intending to find something to criticize but was speechless when she saw that it was equipped with a large, fluffy bed, a bath, and even its own ventilation, cleaning, and heating and cooling system.
“Huh?”
Then Mirole, who barely found something strange, tilted her head.
“Wouldn’t this tent alone be enough for us to stay?”
“You would be nervous to sleep in the same space with someone you don’t know well, right? I can’t help it if it didn’t turn out as you wanted, but it’s not now. Use this one alone and rest.”
“Ah…”
Evan said that, but in fact, it wasn’t because he was considerate of Mirole, but because of the succubus who stuck to his back and blew on his neck. It meant as if she were saying, ‘I’ve waited long enough so far, and I’ll show you the dignity of the Succubus Queen wherever you are if you make me stand it any longer.’ And Mirole also seemed to realize that the atmosphere between the two of them was strangely sweet with a woman’s intuition.
“Uuughhh…”
Mirole looked alternatively between Maybell and Evan while making a strange sound. It seemed it would be very difficult to establish a healthy and good relationship with the heroine in the future. And that wasn’t what Evan was hoping for. He didn’t want to worry about getting a knife stabbed in his abdomen after coming all over here to the new generation.
“It’s all because of you, Maybell. Before you make the kid a mess, control your facial expressions.”
“That’s impossible!”
The smile Maybell gave with that instant reply was uselessly cool. If this happened, the only thing to do was quarantine the two and then attend to Maybell’s desire to calm them down…Evan sighed and turned to Mirole.
“Thank you so much for teaching me today. Take a break today, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“A-are you two really going to use that one?”
“It is also the duty of a master to take care of his familiar spirit.”
Evan laughed embarrassingly in the roughly created setup. Mirole stared at his face, and she moved her lips as if to say something, but she soon dropped her shoulders.
“Then, goodnight. See you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight!”
Evan was led by Maybell, who was in a good mood, and entered the tent where the two decided to stay. It was one level higher than the one given to Mirole, so even if it wasn’t like a palace, there was floor space like the Sherden’s Astray headquarters.
“Then let’s take a bath first! Huhuhu…”
Evan shook his head at the absurd appearance of Maybell waving her bat wings and showing her feelings with her whole body.
“How can you make such a face that expresses your desire?”
“How could I not? For the first time in my life, I monopolize the master…oh, hm.”
Maybell’s compelling voice was lowered for the first time that day. So many things happened, and they forgot for a while, but their situation wasn’t fun enough to laugh and talk like this.
“That…I’m sorry, Master. For just thinking about me…”
“Okay, okay. It’s not that I won’t see her anymore. We will definitely go back someday.”
Yes, that would surely happen. Because Mirole, and no one else, came back to him and asked him to scold her.
“Rather, I don’t know how lucky I am that at least you are by my side at times like this.”
“What do you mean by at least you!? I will be angry too!”
“Really?”
Evan pulled Maybell into his arms and embraced her. She hugged him without resistance as she was waiting, and their eyes met.
“Then, I have to work hard to cheer you up.”
“M-Master…”
“Let’s go to bed.”
“…Okay.”
On the day he fell into the world of Yo-Ma Great War Zero, Evan realized that the Succubus Queen was awesome in dreams but more awesome in reality. All though, in the end… the winner was Evan.
Both Evan and Maybell were happy with the results.